All You Need to Know About Live and in Play Betting!

The natural evolution of betting on sports led to the point where the live product of any betting site is their prime feature. Live betting’s popularity has increased so rapidly, an overwhelming statistic shows that live bets account for the staggering 80% of all online wagers, compared to just 20% for pre-match bets. Having an In-play console takes any bookmaker to a completely new level, offering numerous additional betting options, more dynamic odds and some handy features, such as Live streaming, that are designed to improve your customer experience and help you figure out the right bet.

The Best Live Betting Consoles Online

This page offers an overview of the live developments of our featured bookmakers. As you can see, all our partners offer in-play bets to their customers and frankly we can’t even imagine listing a bookie without live services on our website.

It’s hardly a surprise that BetBright tops our list of live betting operators. Their main advantage is that a huge chunk of the betting site’s featured markets are available in the live section too. In addition, there are more than 50,000 annually streamed events from the top sports, such as football, tennis, basketball, volleyball and many more. The feature is well adjusted for mobile devices, runs smoothly and is really intuitive.

That doesn’t mean the other ones are bad or anything. There are alternative solutions among our partners’ products that won’t give you much less. It’s important that you know all of them work properly, so when you go for your preferred bookie you will get an adequate live betting service.

Why Would I Bet Live Instead of Pre-Match Betting?

To be perfectly honest, both Pre-Match and In-Play wagers have their good sides, depending on what type of experience you are looking for. The most obvious advantage live punters get is the endless supply of additional exciting betting options you won’t find pre-match. The sneakiest of you will also enjoy betting live, as this type of bets offer really rapid changing of the odds and you can easily grant yourself a tasty profit if you foresee a significant event. Live betting on sports is for those of you who posses determination, trust their gut and are able to make decisions fast. Do you think you are one of those punters? Well, you can easily check that out.

Why to bet In-Play?More Betting OptionsDynamic OddsLive Cash Out

Live Streaming and Commentary

Many bookmakers not only in the UK, but across the globe decided to use the live streaming of events as a marketing trick to keep customers interested. When this feature is present at the bookie, a small flash-based box will show the event’s action live as it’s on TV. In bright contrast with the various streams you will find online, the ones at our betting sites have no delay at all and are also completely legal and safe.

Three steps to watch Live Streams
1. Use a compatible device
2. Have a funded account
3. Enter event view in the console

The Stoke-based operator has the most impressive broadcasting portfolio online, showing quality streams for various high-profile events from the sports calendar. However, in order to qualify for the live streaming, you need to meet some minimum requirements. I’m not talking about the technical ones, they are pretty straightforward, Flash Player and a decent machine that will handle the processes running. Your account has to be funded if you are to watch the live feeds. Other operators, especially when it comes to horse racing, require a bet of minimum £1 to be placed so you can watch.

One of live streaming’s major downsides is that they are not available in full screen and when it comes to football, the best club and international competitions are not covered at all. Still, for some of those sporting events you may find find audio commentary, which may not be as good as live video feed, but still has some value in it.

Important Criteria for a Good Live Betting Operator

Just like many other good services that provide quality product, there are hours of hard work behind every live betting console. All the best live betting operators have features-packed developments that make your life much easier when you decide to place your bets in that manner. In the following paragraphs you can read a brief overview of the most prominent live console sections you may see while playing online.

Overview

Overview mode is the opening section you are redirected to as you enter any live console. All top ongoing events are displayed with the most popular bets for them. Without much effort you can scroll across the page, browse all fixtures and figure out the best wager at any given moment. Due to the limited screen size, the overview mode often is a bit different for mobile with the events being clustered in relevant groups by sport.

Event View

Once you find the live game of your interest, the next step is to enter Event View mode, where all possible bets for the event will be at your disposal. The live coverage usually starts if there is one for the event and above the bets you will see a field with essential information about what’s going on. For example, when it is a football match, the board will most likely show info about corners, cards and goals scored.

Multi View – Design Your Own Layout

By its nature, Multi View is a cool fusion between Overview and Event View modes. The section gives you the chance to design the operator’s live console so it can match your taste, including only the events you want to see. It’s really easy to do that, the only required action is to select, drag and drop your desired fixtures. Sadly, not all online bookmakers have this tool, but the really top-quality ones, such as BetVictor have it and it’s on a very good level.

Live Graphics

We’ve already mentioned that one of live streaming’s few drawbacks is its limited supply. Still, the top bookmakers are doing their best to compensate for that by all means possible. The live graphics are nice, but unfortunately not equal substitute for the audio/video coverage. You can’t see / hear the action, but still you get the general idea of what’s going on.

Schedule

In-Play Schedule is another important live-console feature. You can’t place your bets there, as it has purely informative functions, but the feature is also a place, from where you can be relocated to all upcoming fixtures’ pages. Apart from the link, the schedule shows you the type of sport, the event’s starting time and whether there is coverage provided for it. It varies for all bookies, but at some the schedule is for up to 7 days ahead in time.

Cash Out

In-Play Cash Out is relatively new sportsbook feature that is still gathering momentum, but is already very popular among online punters worldwide. It requires interaction from the customers, as they become in charge of their bet’s fate. At some point when your bet is still in a good position of winning, the operator may give you the opportunity to close your bet and claim part of the winnings. It’s a great option when you feel insecure about your wagers or want to cut potential losses.

Quick Bet

This is another exciting attribute that is currently available only at a part of the betting sites. Our test champion BetVictor is among them, accompanied by Coral and BetBright from our partners. The fast betting option is triggered by a small on/off button and gives you the opportunity to place your wagers live within a second, with the bet value being set in advance. Quick bet is great for tennis and other sports with rapidly changing odds and markets, so you should give it a try.

Range of Markets

It is of vital importance that the range of covered markets by any live betting console is wide enough to satisfy the customer’s needs. Don’t be fooled, the presence of just football and tennis surely won’t cut it. Today the best live operators offer in-play markets for the likes of curling, handball and even table tennis. A complete portfolio has became a mandatory requirement for anyone to be considered as a top site for betting live on sports.

About Live Odds

No matter if you are a newbie to sports betting or a seasoned punter, the odds will always be of crucial importance for you. The things that make live betting odds so important are their dynamic nature and the unpredictable twists and turns they offer. All top betting websites aim to keep close payout ratios for both Pre-match and live betting, by balancing the odds movement to the maximum.

Mobile Compatibility

It’s not a big surprise that each of our featured operators has adjusted its live development for mobile devices too. The layouts used are pretty intuitive and you most probably won’t experience any difficulties when placing your in-play wagers on the go. You will just need to be a bit more quicker and handier than usual, especially if you are using your phone. Placing a bet on mobile requires at least several touches and by the time you are ready the enticing odds may be gone.

Keep Track on the Results with Live Score

The online in-play betting developments may have another cool function. Punters can use their services as a source to check any results they need. All consoles are so easy on the eye, you can easily follow how the action unfolds for every fixture you want. Many operators have Results section, where people can check if they have won or not. In addition, many operators have prepared a specialised live score development, powered by the likes of Betradar and GoalsFeed.

What Is Needed from Your Side to Bet on Sports Live?

First of all, adventurous spirit and willingness to take risks. In-play wagers may seem like a tough cookie for some punters, but once you nail the basics, the door for serious winnings will be wide open for you. In contrast with Pre-match betting, where you need deep research if you are to find a valuable bet, live betting suggests that you should trust your gut a bit more. Always follow the action through the live streams when that is possible and take into deep consideration each of your wagers. Don’t hesitate to cash out your running bet or place an opposite bet on improved odds. Even small, any win is a win and trust me, the supply of live events will never run out.

Is It All Legal?

Well, any live console is as legal and regulated as is the sports betting operator it is supported by. We can not guarantee that all bookmakers around the web are fair and safe, but at least we can do that for our featured partners. They are all regulated by the British Gambling Commission and monitored by reputable agencies, such as ESSA, TST and eCOGRA.

The same goes for all live stream features you will find online, too. There is nothing shady behind the bookies broadcasting live the action from various sporting events, but you are only permitted to access them for your own personal use. In order to copy or reproduce the streams in any form, you will need a special authorisation from the betting company.